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OK I assembled my thoughts together
I tend to doubt that all of Phantasmagoria II was recorded in the mid-nineties, much like how Selected Ambient Works 85-92 probably does not contain material dating to when Richard D. James would have been 13. I'm going to go out on a limb and say this album sounds too much like it was made on modern computer technology for that to be true. Mochi described this album as shoegaze, and despite its usual categorization, most of this album sounds nothing like the genre. Most striking is the up-tempo and electronic sound. Instead, I think the album fits better into the IDM/glitch pop categorizations, or maybe noise pop or something. The following is an organized collection of thoughts I had from closely listening to this a single time, so sorry if this just reads like I'm grabbing at whatever's most obvious.
Beginning with the short introductory "Mindstep", the album quickly moves on to "Into the Green", a trilogy of songs. The first part, "Step-Stray Struggle", a light, dance-y song (oddly like Machine Girl), gives way to "Warp-Wet Woods", featuring electronic tribal drum beats, repetitive vocal hooks, and warbling electronic sounds. I looked into this song and the version in the game Moon: Remix RPG Adventure is much more recognizably shoegaze compared to the 2010 mix and much better without the new stuff laid over it. "Float-Flora Flow" feels swirling, downtempo, melancholic, and vaporwave-esque with lo-fi samples and looping repetition. "Hallucinator" is chirpy, thumping, rushing pop that somehow feels less than the sum of its parts. The following song "Fancy Fun-See", part thundering and crashing pop ditty, part imitation of the bliss of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, is more successful. Next in the track list, "Lose You" is perhaps a less convincing and more raucous repeat of the same idea. "Psychosis", the most thrashing song here, stands out by its merciless, unflagging, brash drumbeat, making it a chore to listen to. "I Loom" an attempt at pure blissfulness, is probably the most generic and forgettable song here. The following track "No Escape" tries to pierce the boredom with a more upbeat and rocking sound, though it is similarly uninteresting, finally culminating in an ugly cacophonous noise before fading out. "In W-Coloured Haze" sounds like a (glitch?) take on standard shoegaze fare, except without the use of guitars. It falls flat in trying to convey any particular emotion before dying off. "Freeze Love II" is a moving pop song similar to Hallucinator, and one of the more successful parts of the album. You can almost feel a sense of movement in the beginning swell, somewhat reminiscent of an early My Bloody Valentine song; if only it were the chorus. As the song actually is, it meanders. "Desertman" is a drawn-out, experimental drag. "Teleport-Queen", apparently a fan favorite from this album, is just as forgettable. A highlight of the album, "Clouds" is a good pop song with a musical theme that fortunately carries throughout the song. The closing track, "Kai-Koh", is a distorted, electronic recapitulation of what makes this album so obnoxious. Ultimately, the unruly sound of mixed ideas and noises makes this album amount to just a novelty.
Beginning with the short introductory "Mindstep", the album quickly moves on to "Into the Green", a trilogy of songs. The first part, "Step-Stray Struggle", a light, dance-y song (oddly like Machine Girl), gives way to "Warp-Wet Woods", featuring electronic tribal drum beats, repetitive vocal hooks, and warbling electronic sounds. I looked into this song and the version in the game Moon: Remix RPG Adventure is much more recognizably shoegaze compared to the 2010 mix and much better without the new stuff laid over it. "Float-Flora Flow" feels swirling, downtempo, melancholic, and vaporwave-esque with lo-fi samples and looping repetition. "Hallucinator" is chirpy, thumping, rushing pop that somehow feels less than the sum of its parts. The following song "Fancy Fun-See", part thundering and crashing pop ditty, part imitation of the bliss of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, is more successful. Next in the track list, "Lose You" is perhaps a less convincing and more raucous repeat of the same idea. "Psychosis", the most thrashing song here, stands out by its merciless, unflagging, brash drumbeat, making it a chore to listen to. "I Loom" an attempt at pure blissfulness, is probably the most generic and forgettable song here. The following track "No Escape" tries to pierce the boredom with a more upbeat and rocking sound, though it is similarly uninteresting, finally culminating in an ugly cacophonous noise before fading out. "In W-Coloured Haze" sounds like a (glitch?) take on standard shoegaze fare, except without the use of guitars. It falls flat in trying to convey any particular emotion before dying off. "Freeze Love II" is a moving pop song similar to Hallucinator, and one of the more successful parts of the album. You can almost feel a sense of movement in the beginning swell, somewhat reminiscent of an early My Bloody Valentine song; if only it were the chorus. As the song actually is, it meanders. "Desertman" is a drawn-out, experimental drag. "Teleport-Queen", apparently a fan favorite from this album, is just as forgettable. A highlight of the album, "Clouds" is a good pop song with a musical theme that fortunately carries throughout the song. The closing track, "Kai-Koh", is a distorted, electronic recapitulation of what makes this album so obnoxious. Ultimately, the unruly sound of mixed ideas and noises makes this album amount to just a novelty.
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the best review in the thread